Medals
Received: EAME, WWII VICTORY MEDAL, NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE
MEDAL , AIR MEDAL
Military
Job: RADIO OPERATOR/GUNNER
Company:
U.S. AIR FORCE
Occupation
after War: PA STATE STORE
Bio:
John E. Monsulick was born 25 July 1918 in St. Clair, PA. He was
inducted into the army air corps on 30 march 1942. He received radio
operator/gunner training at San Antonio TX and was assigned to the 446th
Bomb Group, stationed in England. While on a bombing run to Ludwigshaven,
Germany on 31 July 1944 his b-24 was seriously damaged by anti-aircraft
fire and the order to bail out was given. The pilot and co-pilot were
both last seen fighting the controls as then T/Sgt. Monsulick bailed
out. When he reached the ground, he heard shouts and a few gunshots and
then nothing. Dad spent the next three days evading capture, finally
being brought in by the local civilian police. He spent most of his time
in captivity at Stalag Luft IV. It was there that he learned the fate of
some of his crew, shot by the German S.S., somewhere between Jan-Feb
1945 my dad became involved in the forced march that came to be known as
the "black march". After suffering through a lack of warm
clothing and sufficient food as well as sometimes-cruel treatment at the
hands of the guards, my father was finally liberated in May 1945. His
b-24 was located near Remereville, France some years after the war.
